Spatial distribution of heavy metal assessment in beach sediment due to bauxite mining in Kuantan, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.

The effect of open-pit bauxite mining on beach sediment contamination in the urban coastal environment of Kuantan City, Malaysia, was investigated. The contents of 11 heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe, As, Ni, Cr, and Ag) in 30 samples from Kuantan beach sediment zones (supratidal, intertidal, and subtidal) were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry followed by contamination indexes, Pearson's correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). The results indicated that Cd, As, Ni, and Ag values in beach sediment zones were significantly higher compared to background values.

Mechanism of inhibition of alpha-amylase by caffeic acid using in-vitro and in-silico techniques.

Type-two diabetes, characterised by insulin resistance or inadequate insulin production, is prevalent among adults. The α-amylase enzyme contributes to carbohydrate digestion, elevating postprandial glucose levels. Natural compounds like caffeic acid offer a solution.

Profiling of autoantibodies in the sera of glioblastoma patients.

This study aimed to determine the expression pattern of autoantibody proteins from the serum of grade IV glioblastoma patients. We performed high throughput antibody profiling via the Sengenics i-Ome Protein Array to determine the differentially expressed autoantibodies. The results portrayed that anti-COL4A3BP and anti-HSP90AA1 were among the upregulated autoantibodies in glioblastoma sera.

Pancreatic Cancer: A Retrospective Study From the Najran Region of Saudi Arabia.

Background: Despite advances in treatment, pancreatic cancer frequently has a low survival rate due to its advanced-stage diagnosis. Treatment focuses on prolonging survival and maintaining quality of life. This study investigates the characteristics associated with survival in advanced pancreatic cancer patients treated at a single academic cancer center in Najran, Saudi Arabia.

Multicentre case-control study of pneumococcal infections among children with pneumonia in Peninsular Malaysia (MY-Pneumo): a study protocol.

Background: S. pneumoniae (SPN) is the most common cause of pneumonia. The disease can be effectively prevented through immunisation.

COVID-19 IgG antibodies detection based on CNN-BiLSTM algorithm combined with fiber-optic dataset.

The urgent need for efficient and accurate automated screening tools for COVID-19 detection has led to research efforts exploring various approaches. In this study, we present pioneering research on COVID-19 detection using a hybrid model that combines convolutional neural networks (CNN) with a bi-directional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) network, in conjunction with fiber optic data for SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. Our research introduces a comprehensive data preprocessing pipeline and evaluates the performance of four different deep learning (DL) algorithms: CNN, CNN-RNN, BiLSTM, and CNN-BiLSTM, in classifying samples as positive or negative for the COVID-19 virus.

Factors Affecting Length of Stays in the Emergency Department of a Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study From Najran, Saudi Arabia.

Background:  Reducing the frequency of emergency department (ED) patient visits for treatment, particularly in urgent instances, is a global healthcare objective. Additionally, a more extended stay in the ED can harm a patient's prognosis during later hospitalization. This study aims to investigate the factors affecting the length of stay in the ED in a teaching hospital.

Mapping the influence of hydrocarbons mixture on molecular mechanisms, involved in breast and lung neoplasms: in silico toxicogenomic data-mining.

Background: Exposure to chemical mixtures inherent in air pollution, has been shown to be associated with the risk of breast and lung cancers. However, studies on the molecular mechanisms of exposure to a mixture of these pollutants, such as hydrocarbons, in the development of breast and lung cancers are scarce. We utilized in silico toxicogenomic analysis to elucidate the molecular pathways linked to both cancers that are influenced by exposure to a mixture of selected hydrocarbons.

Role of TGF-β1/SMADs signalling pathway in resveratrol-induced reduction of extracellular matrix deposition by dexamethasone-treated human trabecular meshwork cells.

Deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the trabecular meshwork (TM) increases aqueous humour outflow resistance leading to elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) in primary open-angle glaucoma, which remains the only modifiable risk factor. Resveratrol has been shown to counteract the steroid-induced increase in IOP and increase the TM expression of ECM proteolytic enzymes; however, its effects on the deposition of ECM components by TM and its associated pathways, such as TGF-β-SMAD signalling remain uncertain. This study, therefore, explored the effects of -resveratrol on the expression of ECM components, SMAD signalling molecules, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and tissue plasminogen activator in dexamethasone-treated human TM cells (HTMCs).

Urinary Bladder Carcinosarcoma (Sarcomatoid Carcinoma) With Long Survival After Transurethral Resection: A Case Report.

Carcinosarcoma or sarcomatoid carcinoma of the urinary bladder is a rare but aggressive bladder cancer characterized by malignant epithelial and mesenchymal components, with only a few cases reported in the literature so far. In this report, we discuss a case of a 74-year-old female nonsmoker who presented with intermittent hematuria and passage of clots in the last four months. Radiographic images showed an irregular mass lesion (6.

Cardiotoxicity in Cancer Patients: The Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Cardioprotective Measures in a Cancer Centre in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity can exhibit several patterns of functional, structural, and vascular complications. This study aims to identify the patterns and the factors associated with cardiotoxicity in cancer patients.

Method: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 96 adult cancer patients undergoing anticancer therapy was investigated at King Khalid Hospital in Najran, Saudi Arabia, from May 2022 to April 2023.

Clinical and Therapeutic Characteristics of Hospitalized Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer in Najran, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the top causes of cancer deaths globally, including in Saudi Arabia. Although several prognostic markers have been established, the clinical features and outcomes of lung cancer in Saudi Arabia are not well understood. This study aimed to describe the clinical and therapeutic characteristics of advanced lung cancer in Najran, Saudi Arabia.

Combined DNA Analysis from Stool and Blood Samples Improves Tumor Tracking and Assessment of Clonal Heterogeneity in Localized Rectal Cancer Patients.

In this study, stool samples were evaluated for tumor mutation analysis a targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) approach in a small patient cohort suffering from localized rectal cancer. Colorectal cancer (CRC) causes the second highest cancer-related death rate worldwide. Thus, improvements in disease assessment and monitoring that may facilitate treatment allocation and allow organ-sparing "watch-and-wait" treatment strategies are highly relevant for a significant number of CRC patients.

Uv-vis spectroscopy for simple chloride content analysis in edible oil using charged amino-functionalized carbon quantum dots fluorophore reagent.

The utilization of UV-Vis spectroscopy with amino-functionalized carbon quantum dots (NCQD) as a positive fluorophore reagent for chloride sensing in oil marks a notable advancement in analytical spectroscopy chemistry. This approach streamlines the detection process by eliminating the need for lengthy procedures and pretreatment steps typically associated with chloride detection in edible oil. By incorporating NCQD in chloride detection within the oil matrix, the wavelength analysis transitions from the UV to the visible region.

An observational study on the impact of overcrowding towards door-to-antibiotic time among sepsis patients presented to emergency department of a tertiary academic hospital.

Background: The latest Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2021 recommends early antibiotics administration. However, Emergency Department (ED) overcrowding can delay sepsis management. This study aimed to determine the effect of ED overcrowding towards the management and outcome of sepsis patients presented to ED.

Oncogenic MTOR Signaling Axis Compensates BTK Inhibition in a Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patient with Richter Transformation: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Introduction: Targeting the B-cell receptor pathway via ibrutinib, a specific inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase, has shown marked clinical efficacy in treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), thus becoming a preferred first line option independent of risk factors. However, acquired resistance to ibrutinib poses a major clinical problem and requires the development of novel treatment combinations to increase efficacy and counteract resistance development and clinical relapse rates.

Case Presentation: In this study, we performed exome and transcriptome analyses of an ibrutinib resistant CLL patient in order to investigate genes and expression patterns associated with ibrutinib resistance.

Investigating the Co-Movement and Asymmetric Relationships of Oil Prices on the Shipping Stock Returns: Evidence from Three Shipping-Flagged Companies from Germany, South Korea, and Taiwan.

In the last 2 years, there has been a significant upswing in oil prices, leading to a decline in economic activity and demand. This trend holds substantial implications for the global economy, particularly within the emerging business landscape. Among the influential risk factors impacting the returns of shipping stocks, none looms larger than the volatility in oil prices.

Mediating Effect of Motivation on the Relationship Between Lecturer Experience and Learning Environment With Caring Character Among Undergraduate Nursing Student in Indonesia.

Introduction: Caring is learned through faculty role-modeling and clinical interactions, enhancing nursing students' caring character. Relationship between caring, motivation, teacher experience, and learning environment remains uncertain.

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the relationship between their caring characters, motivation, lecturer experience, and learning environment among undergraduate nursing students in Indonesia.

Comparison of the Efficacy of Cisplatin/Paclitaxel Versus Carboplatin/Paclitaxel in Improving Survival and Quality of Life in the Advanced Ovarian Cancer Patient Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Control Trials.

Ovarian cancer, being one of the prevalent gynecological cancers, warrants a therapy that's both effective and well tolerated. After extensive drug testing, combination regimens with paclitaxel plus platinum-based agents such as cisplatin/carboplatin and taxanes, have shown promising results for advanced ovarian cancer. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the efficacy of two treatment regimens for advanced ovarian cancer: cisplatin/paclitaxel and carboplatin/paclitaxel.

Seroprevalence and molecular characterisation of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in broiler farms in Sabah, Malaysia.

Background: Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is classified as a highly contagious viral agent that causes acute respiratory, reproductive and renal system pathology in affected poultry farms. Molecular and serological investigations are crucial for the accurate diagnosis and management of IBV.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of IBV and to characterise the circulating IBV in poultry farms in Sabah Province, Malaysia.

Electrical, Thermal, and Structural Characterization of Plant-Based 3D Printed Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Future Electrochemical Applications.

In this work, a plant-based resin gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) was prepared by stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing. Lithium perchlorate (LiClO) with a concentration between 0 wt.% and 25 wt.

Comparison of clinical and laboratory characteristics between severe and non-severe dengue in paediatrics.

Background: The timely identification of severe dengue in peadiatric patients is of utmost importance, as any delay in diagnosis could lead to an irreversible state of shock potentially leading to fatal consequences. The primary aim of our study was to characterize dengue severity in paediatric patients based on initial symptoms, signs, and laboratory investigation of their presentation in the emergency department.

Methodology: We conducted a retrospective data retrieval from the medical records of 254 paediatric patients who had been diagnosed with confirmed cases of dengue fever.

Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease by the anti-viral chimeric protein RetroMAD1.

COVID-19 results from SARS-CoV-2, which mutates frequently, challenging current treatments. Therefore, it is critical to develop new therapeutic drugs against this disease. This study explores the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 3CL and RetroMAD1, a well-characterized coronavirus protein and potential drug target, using in-silico methods.